The Rightie Bias

There’s a reason why you hate the words “death” and “taxes”—and it has to do not only with the words themselves, but also where the letters fall on a keyboard. According to new research, words spelled with more letters on the right side of the keyboard—“lol” and “jolly”—are associated with more positive emotions than those spelled with more left side letters.

Most of us are right handed, so it makes sense: “You like things better if you can interact with them easily,” Casasanto adds. People even prefer others who stand on their dominant side, according to a study.

The keyboard itself is set up in a way that magnifies this effect. “There are more keys on the left side, which makes those words harder to type,” says Casasanto.

Culture also associates right with good and left with bad (“my right hand man,” “out of left field”), says Casasanto. Lefties—though they may be more fluid on the left—have learned the ‘right is good’ idioms, shake with their right hand, and type on a keyboard skewed right.

So if you’re thinking of a name for the company you really need to start one of these days, a screen name, or name of your first born child, consider the keyboard in addition to your personal preferences. (Speaking of titles, what's in a name? Cash.)

A Part of Hearst Digital Media
Men's Health participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.